Achieving your potential

William O’Reilly of My Best Self writes about positive psychology and how it can help you reach your full potential.

What makes a great athlete? Well-researched training programs are certainly part of the answer.

There is a huge research industry that works tirelessly to figure out how to improve and fine tune the way athletes do everything. Athletes are obsessed with knowing the best way to do things and then do them.

Positive mental health

Imagine we lived in a society that had the same attitude towards mental health.

A society where we strive to help everybody achieve their mental health potential, not just look after it when it became a problem.

A society where people thought about the world in the best possible way and embraced lifestyles that helped them achieve their happiness, psychological health and performance potential.

This society is my life mission and I believe positive psychology is a big part of the solution.

Positive psychology

Positive psychology is the study of the happiest, psychologically healthiest and highest performing people. Researchers have figured out what makes these people achieve their potential and have developed very practical exercises that everyone can use to help us achieve ours.

Currently only one in five people are achieving their potential relative to their ability so there’s a huge opportunity for many of us to improve (Gaffney, 2011).

Life changing

My motivation to set up My Best Self has also been a very personal one. Positive psychology has transformed my life. I have experienced moderate depression on and off since I was 17 years-old but fortunately I discovered positive psychology when I was 19 years-old.

I began to read into it and practice the exercises. I now enjoy a strong mental health and live a life that excites me while experiencing strong positive emotions.

Positive psychology is not a complete mental health solution but it certainly has a role to play in creating a happier and healthier society

Why should we use positive psychology?

10 minutes of positive psychology exercise each day is a (small) effort. People who exercise positive psychology feel happier, less stressed and tend to have increased coping power.

As if that wasn’t enough, people with higher positive intelligence sell 37% more, live up to 10 years longer and are three times more creative! (Chamine, 2012)

Positive change

It’s estimated that by 2050 mental health exercises will be as common as physical exercise (Davidson, 2009).

The society I dream of will be realised in my life time, but it is up to all of us to embrace positive mental health culture. I warmly invite you to be a part of this change.